


Another One Bites the Dust

by ReginaNocis



Series: Losers Having Babies [2]
Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Anxiety, Ben Hanscom is a Good Friend, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak Are Best Friends, Discussions of Babies, M/M, Mike Hanlon is a Good Friend, Stanley Uris Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis
Summary: “So, what about it? Are you and Bill ready to have a baby?”The question wouldn’t leave him alone. He’d brushed Eddie and Bev off that day, glaring and scowling all the way out of the door. He’d left the onesie there on the table in front of Bev, but it reappeared at his house two days later. Thankfully, Stan had managed to stash it in a drawer before Bill saw it. Because Bill was absolutely ready to have a baby. He’d been dropping hints for months- almost since before Bev got pregnant for Richie and Eddie.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: Losers Having Babies [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022410
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Another One Bites the Dust

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't stop with just one baby. I want *all* of the Losers to be happy!! So enjoy this second story in the trilogy I have planned!

_“So, what about it? Are you and Bill ready to have a baby?”_

The question wouldn’t leave him alone. He’d brushed Eddie and Bev off that day, glaring and scowling all the way out of the door. He’d left the onesie there on the table in front of Bev, but it reappeared at his house two days later. Thankfully, Stan had managed to stash it in a drawer before Bill saw it. Because Bill was absolutely ready to have a baby. He’d been dropping hints for months- almost since before Bev got pregnant for Richie and Eddie.

Now, three weeks after finding the onesie, Stan was sitting on their back porch alone. He had their photo album open on his lap, but he hadn’t been looking at the pictures for a while now. He was lost in thought. Every once in a while, he’d glance down at the picture he’d paused on, but he made no move to turn the page.

_“Stan, what are you thinking about?” Mike asked, coming to a stop beside him. They were both watching the other Losers, who were laughing and joking around with each other outside of the restaurant they’d all agreed to meet at. Not Chinese- never again._

_“Nothing,” Stan said after a few seconds, giving Mike a distracted smile. “It’s nothing.”_

_“Well, nothing has you pretty distracted,” Mike teased gently. “Can I take a guess?”_

_“Sure,” Stan agreed, fairly confident that he wouldn’t get it right._

_“Ben proposed to Bev last week. Richie and Eddie aren’t technically engaged, but we all know they’re planning their wedding. I’m getting ready to go back to my travels. What’s next for you and Bill?” Mike asked, glancing over at him out of the corner of his eyes._

_“Ah,” Stan said softly, looking down. “Yeah, that’s a pretty good guess.”_

_“I’ve got an advantage. I know you really well,” Mike reminded him, nudging their shoulders together companionably. “And if I had to guess, I’d say you know the answer to that question already, but it makes you nervous.”_

_“You’re not wrong,” Stan confirmed. “I still have a hard time believing that I’m allowed to have him, you know? Taking a step further, asking him to stay with me for the rest of our lives… is that something I should really do? I feel like I’ve already taken so much from him.”_

_“You haven’t taken anything from him, Stan,” Mike told him gently. “Did you know he’s liked you since we were kids? He told me once, right before his family moved away. He told me he thought that if Georgie hadn’t… that things would have gone differently. That maybe he would have told you.”_

_“No, I don’t… no way,” Stan denied, shaking his head. His eyes were wide, and he’d given up on watching the others in favor of staring at Mike. “Why are you telling me this now?”_

_“Because I want you to understand that you asking Bill to marry you would not mean that you’re stealing anything from him. He_ wants _you to have all of him. You just need to see it for yourself. And he could always say no if he really felt you were asking too much,” Mike replied. He made it sound so easy- so simple. It gave Stan the courage he needed to walk across the parking lot and wrap his arm around Bill’s waist to lead him inside._

_They made it to the table with the rest of the Losers without causing too much trouble in the restaurant. They weren’t asked to leave, which had definitely happened to them before. Richie was a menace who shouldn’t be trusted in public, and Bev was more likely to join in than stop him. Stan sat down across from Mike and beside Bill, the latter of which gave him a quick wink in encouragement._

_The conversations during the meal were a blur. Stan didn’t say much, beyond beeping Richie several times when he went too far. It was his job, after all, to keep his best friend in line. He couldn’t slack off just because he was nervous and distracted. Bill kept giving him worried looks, but he never brought it up. He took Stan’s hand under the table and squeezed, offering silent support for whatever was making Stan so nervous._

_It was Bev who called him out when dessert was delivered. “Alright, Staniel, spill. What’s going on in your head? You’re way too quiet today!”_

_Eddie reached out and smacked her arm, but she looked completely unapologetic. Everyone was looking at Stan now, even Bill, and the box in his pocket felt heavier than it had all night. It was now or never, he knew. If he chickened out tonight, he’d never do it. Mike gave him an encouraging smile, and Stan was impressed that he didn’t throw in a thumbs-up, too. When he looked back at Bill, he found his boyfriend giving him a very worried look._

_“Is everything okay?” Bill asked softly, ignoring all of their other friends. Stan took a deep breath, studying Bill’s face for a few seconds before sliding out of his chair onto one knee. His free hand went to his pocket and pulled out the box he’d been carrying with him for over two months now. At least two of their friends made noise, but Stan tuned them out._

_“There are so many things I planned to say in this moment,” he confessed, keeping his eyes firmly on Bill’s. Bill’s expression was pure shock, and he wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. He just kept going. “None of them feel right, now. Maybe we haven’t loved each other since we were thirteen, and maybe it took us a lot longer to get to where we are now, but I know that I_ do _love you. I love you more than I have ever loved anything or anyone in my life, and I will always feel that way. One lifetime doesn’t feel like long enough, but it’s what we have, and I want to spend mine loving you. So, Bill… will you marry me?”_

_He flipped the box open to reveal a woven gold band. It was simple, but Stan just knew it would be perfect for Bill. Bill, who had yet to have a reaction. Stan knew he wasn’t alone in holding his breath while Bill struggled with the ability to speak. Finally, after too long of a silence, Bill slid out of his seat and wrapped his arms tightly around Stan. He kissed him, too overcome with emotion to be able to speak in that moment._

_“Y-yes,” Bill gasped when they pulled apart. “Y-yes, I’ll marry y-you!”_

Mike had presented Stan with the printed out image of the two of them embracing on the restaurant’s floor two days later. To this day, it was one of Stan’s favorite images. It had made it into their wedding collage, it was framed on their wall, and it was preserved in this album.

He picked up the coffee cup that he’d carried out with him, but the coffee inside was cold. Wrinkling his nose, he put it back down and flipped the page instead. The next picture was of their wedding party. All of them were laughing, of course, because they couldn’t be them and _not_ laugh. Eddie had been Bill’s best man, and Mike had been Stan’s. There had been some arguments over who had stood on which side, but it was all in good nature. The day itself was beautiful and everything Stan could have dreamed of.

_“Dude, check you out! You clean up nice, who would have guessed,” Richie teased, straightening Stan’s tie for him for the sixth time. As soon as he was done, Mike shoved him gently out of the way and fixed it for real._

_“Don’t mess with the groom on his wedding day,” Mike chided, giving Stan a quick smile as he made his way back over to finish putting on his own suit._

_“You’ve got the rings, right?” Stan asked for what was probably the twentieth time. Richie laughed and Mike rolled his eyes. They were both smiling, and definitely both making fun of him. Stan couldn’t have cared less._

_“Yes, Stan, I have the rings,” Mike assured him. “And if we don’t move, it won’t matter. You’ll be late to your own wedding. Is that really what you want?”_

_“I’ve never been late in my life,” Stan joked, earning another laugh from both of them. In reality, he’d only been late once in his life that he could remember- Jade of the Orient hadn’t been as easy to find as he’d thought it would be, even though he’d grown up in Derry. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it._

_“Sure,” Mike agreed, squeezing his arm as he moved to take his place. Richie bumped their shoulders together as he walked by, and Stan gave him a small smile. Not even thirty seconds later, Ben was coming through the side door to take his place at the altar. They’d talked him into getting ordained so he could perform the ceremony, thereby ending all debates on who would stand where._

_“You ready?” Ben asked, grinning excitedly. He didn’t even look the slightest bit nervous to be performing the ceremony, and Stan was jealous. He had never been so nervous in his life. Even fighting an evil killer clown hadn’t given him this much anxiety. Ben seemed to see that. “Just think, you’ve got this one little thing and then the rest of your lives together. Worth it, right?”_

_“Just because you’ve already done this,” Stan shot back, but he was smiling now. “Yes. It’s worth it.”_

_“I’m glad you think so, because we’re ready to start,” Ben told him, winking. At that very moment, the music started to play._

_Bev came down the aisle first, giggling as she dropped flower petals in her wake. He didn’t know when she’d planned this, but all he could do was smile. Bill had chosen to walk down the aisle with Eddie, his oldest friend._

_(He’d told Stan privately that Eddie was the closest thing to family that he had left, excluding the other Losers. “It’s different,” he’d explained. “I knew Eddie when we were four years old and terrorizing the neighborhood. My parents loved having him over, and I was the only one of us that his mom could tolerate for more than a few minutes. We grew up like brothers, and that’s pretty much what we’ve become.”)_

_Richie had talked them both into wearing white suits, even though neither of them could really be considered innocent. Well… he’d convinced Bill, and Stan could never say no to Bill. The rest of the wedding party was wearing traditional black, with Bev in a dark shade of red. The ceremony was another blur, in which they didn’t stumble over their words and both ended up crying by the end. They walked back down the aisle together, arm in arm, as married husbands._

_The pictures came right after the ceremony. Their guests made their way to the reception venue while the Losers took a quick detour to the park to take the official wedding party pictures. It started out fine. The photographer met them at the park right on time, and they did the first few poses without any trouble at all. It was when he lined them up and told them to stand arm-in-arm that they hit the first snag._

_“Shouldn’t the grooms be in the middle?” Mike asked, chuckling quietly as Bev tried to squeeze her way between Stan and Bill. “Unless you’ve somehow become a part of their relationship without telling us.”_

_“Bev,” Ben gasped, looking completely heartbroken for all of two seconds before devolving into giggles._

_“Hey, I think we should acknowledge that I am the reason these two are together in the first place, and I should therefore be allowed to be in the middle of this picture,” Bev pointed out, grinning unapologetically._

_“And how do you figure that?” Stan asked, amused._

_“Please,” she snorted. “If it hadn’t been for me, Bill would never have confessed his gay love for you.”_

_“I would have!” Bill protested, but even he was laughing. “It just… would have taken longer.”_

_“You would_ not _have!” Bev exclaimed, poking him in the chest playfully. “You couldn’t even say it to me! You just kept talking about how you were perfectly happy as you were, and that you weren’t allowed to have what you really wanted. Nothing needed to change, remember!”_

_“Pot, meet kettle,” Richie grinned. “By the way, you’re both black.”_

_“Oh, you’re one to talk,” Eddie retorted, amused. “How long did you love me before anything came of it? All because you were too chickenshit to speak up.”_

_“Hey now!” Richie laughed, shoving at Eddie playfully. “Let’s not mention that now. Today is about Bill and Stan!”_

_“Yeah, not Bev,” Stan added, giving her a pointed look. It was ruined by the smile on his face._

_“Fine,” she sighed. “Push me away. Be that way.”_

_“So dramatic,” Ben told her, pulling her gently into his arms and pressing a kiss to her hair. “We had our own wedding photos, and you were the center of every single one. Let them have the spotlight.”_

_In the end, the photographer had snapped several photos of the ‘argument’. There were a few with Bev still standing in the middle, but most of them were just of the Losers clustered together like one happy family._

Stan ran his fingers over the image lovingly, smiling to himself. That had been the happiest day of his life. He could remember every moment of it, even two years later. And they’d been so happy together! He had no complaints at all about his life the way that it was. When they’d moved to New York together to be closer to the others, Stan had wondered. But now he had a husband he adored, a job at a new accounting firm that he loved, and his family close enough to see on a daily basis. He wouldn’t change anything.

Would he?

Bill was happy, too. He told Stan so every single day. But just over a year ago, he’d started dropping little hints here and there about wanting to expand their little family. When Bev started making onesies, he caught Bill writing out a list of little sayings for her that were relevant to the Losers. He’d given her several ideas when she got stuck. Stan would have been jealous if not for the fact that he’d found a notebook full of ideas that were relevant to just the two of them. And Stan recognized the purple onesie that kept appearing in his house as one of them.

He wasn’t sure if Bill had gone to Bev and asked for her help, or if he’d just given her the entire notebook and forgotten that those were in it. He could picture Eddie asking her to make it so that he could leave it in revenge for him and Bill helping her with designs. But Bev hadn’t really seemed innocent in this whole thing, either. She was _way_ too smug.

He shook his head, flipping the page again. There was no photo here. It was an empty slot they’d left, for whatever came next. Their next big adventure, as Bill had put it. Because this entire album had been an anniversary gift from Bill to Stan. The pictures started when they met as kids and spanned all the way to their wedding day.

_(“I don’t know what comes next,” Bill admitted with a sheepish smile. “But I know it’ll be something. So I left space to include it in the story of our lives. We can fill it in as it comes. Because as long as we’re together, it’s always an adventure.”_ )

His thoughts were interrupted by the sliding door opening and closing behind him, and then his husband was taking the seat beside him. “You’ve been out here for a long time. Is everything okay?” Bill asked, resting his head on Stan’s shoulder.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” Stan replied softly, closing the photo album.

“The last time you were this quiet, you proposed,” Bill reminded him, smiling. “I don’t think you could do anything that would shock me more, so… what’s going on in your mind?”

Life had thrown them so many curveballs, and they’d rolled with it all. They’d survived Derry, they’d survived a killer clown from space, and they’d survived the trials of dating your best friend from childhood. They could survive anything, as long as they were together. Stan knew that. He just needed the reminder sometimes. He ran his hand over the cover of the photo album, making up his mind.

“I think we should have a baby,” he replied.


End file.
